


Feu Follet

by Skyeec2



Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst, M/M, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, fluff later, ghost au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-17
Updated: 2018-02-17
Packaged: 2019-03-20 05:08:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,036
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13710504
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skyeec2/pseuds/Skyeec2
Summary: When Fair crashes them into the Nibel mountains, Genesis thought the day was completely ruined. Thankfully a young local was kind enough to show them the way to the nearest town. Now if only his mind would stop deluding him into thinking his mark was glowing, they wouldn't have a problem.





	1. Part 1 - Crash Meetings

**Author's Note:**

> An idea born from a Discord Server with some other FF7 fandom friends! Because I love Soulmate AUs, Strifesodos and making Gen the butt of fate's jokes! It's my aesthetic~  
> I hope this all makes sense, because it's kind of a confusing AU and really hard to explain

“I hate you all.”

The words were stated blandly, with little emotion in his voice as he addressed the other three with him. 

“We know,” Angeal sighed, standing a few away from him and inspecting their immediate surroundings for anything that resembled a recognizable landmark in the frozen wastes of the Nibel mountains. “You keep telling us.”

“It bares repeating,” Genesis stated, narrowing his gaze at the limb held within his grasp, bathed in the gentle, green glow of a Cure materia. Really, he should have left Fair to suffer with the broken limb, he was the only one with a Cure strong enough to mend bone and it’d currently show Angeal for dismissing his earlier worry over allowing Fair to pilot the helicopter back to Shinra.

But that would have been petty, and Angeal would attribute the action towards jealousy over the warm, steady glow of the other’s completed soulmark. Which he was not, thank you very much, he had more self-respect than to feel jealous that someone like Fair had found his one person while his own had died some ten years prior. 

No, he was exhausted from using far too much magic to deal with the little ‘problem’, then reducing their descent as much as he could while they’d been crashing and finally healing what damage they did sustained. He was allowed to be a bit cranky after all of that, especially after Fair had stranded them in the middle of the mountains.

“I’m sorry,” Fair whimpered, partly from the pain of slowly mending broken bones and partly in response to whatever expression Genesis currently had on his face. “But I’m sure something attacked us up there!”

“We don’t doubt what you saw,” that was Sephiroth, finally speaking from inside the wreck of their helicopter, braving the smoldering metal in search of supplies they would need for their trek towards the nearest town. “Genesis is simply irritated at being stranded out here. The cold doesn’t exactly agree with him.”

“There’s also the fact that no one else saw whatever you claim attacked us,” he shot over his shoulder, not wanting to deal with them dismissing his anger today. Not when he was here because they asked him to when he’d already had plans for the day, plans that he’d been looking forward to immensely.

“Enough!” Angeal barked, growing tired of their petty arguing. “It doesn’t matter what happened! We’re here now and we’ve got to deal with getting off the mountain!”

“Well, Nibelheim’s closer than Rocket Town, I could take you there if you want?”

Genesis was surprised by the sudden voice, though he managed to keep himself from reacting too strongly in surprise, unlike Fair, who’d jolted so strongly that he’d sent pain running through his system once again from his still healing body.

“Idiot,” Genesis grumbled under his breath, irritated that he had more to heal now due to Fair’s actions. Really, why did the boy have to be so animated?

“Sorry,” Fair whimpered, holding still once more while Genesis fed magic into his body. 

Angeal, being the responsible man he was, decided to handle the new voice while Genesis was preoccupied with Fair and Sephiroth was doing, whatever he was doing. “Where on Gaia did you come from? Where are your parents?”

“I’ve been here a while,” that was a child’s voice, no wonder Angeal was asking him about where his parents where. Genesis couldn’t find it within himself to be concerned over the kid’s presence here though, not after the numerous hours he himself had spent within the Mines back home. “Not my fault you guys didn’t notice me.”

And he was avoiding Angeal’s question? What a curious little thing. He shifted until he could see whoever his friend was addressing, not yet exhausted enough to fail at the easy task of focusing on healing Fair while not focusing on him.

The child was quite short and very thin, probably due to malnutrition, and his blue eyes seemed large in his gaunt, pale face. His hair was long, blond and spiky, hanging in his face and collected at the base of his neck with a tie. 

He was standing a few feet from them, a little more than a thick shirt and a pair of tattered pants, watching them with an intent, focused gaze. He must have been cold in that, or perhaps he was just used to it from long exposure? Genesis was getting cold just looking at the little one, and he was bundled up in one of the thickest coats he could get his hands on.

“That’s impossible,” Angeal said, drawing his attention away from his inspectition of the child. “One of us would have noticed you by now.”

“But you didn’t,” the kid shot back, rolling his eyes at Angeal. “You were too focused on the fact that your helicopter crashed and left you stranded on the mountain. By the way, great job flying into that dragon.”

“I told you something attacked us,” Fair muttered petulantly, keeping his gaze turned away from Genesis.

“There’s a big difference between ‘we were attacked by a dragon’ and ‘I flew into a dragon’.” He told the younger, ceasing the flow of energy into his materia and pulling his hand away from Fair. He didn’t make any other move though, feeling the slightest bit unsteady from his overuse of magic, standing was not in his best interest at the current time.

He swept his arm over his face, wiping away the sweat that had gathered there, only to freeze completely when he noticed the faint gleam beneath the sleeve of his jacket. It was this again, his mind playing tricks on him again and making him think his dulled mark was trying to respond to someone that just wasn’t there anymore. He hated when this happened, always while he was exhausted and too often within this region; perhaps there was just something about the cold that made him ache for someone he’d never met.

He forced himself to dismiss the odd hallucination, covering his dulled wrist once again with the fabric that had somehow slipped from its resting place upon his arm. He hated being reminded of the cruelty of fate; though not nearly as much as the rest of the world seemed to, treating the mark like something hideous and shameful, something he needed to hide away from the rest of the world.

He focused back on the situation to find that Fair had moved to stand next to Angeal and was peering at the child closely, leaving the boy looking unnerved.

“You can really help us get out of here?” Fair asked, cocking his head like the animal Angeal often likened him to. 

“I wouldn’t have offered if I couldn’t,” the child huffed, crossing his arms over his chest and kicking at the snow with shoes that barely seemed to be holding together. “What d’you think I am, stupid?”

“We should start moving then,” Sephiroth said suddenly, emerging from the broken helicopter with everything he thought they would need. “I don’t want to be out here too much longer.” He paused as he passed where Genesis was still sitting, taking something from his pocket and presenting it to him. “You’d have been unbearable if you lost this.”

It was the book he’d brought on the trip with him, one of his favourites from his collection to make the trip a bit easier of him. He most definitely would have been unbearable if he’d lost this, he’d have been beyond pissed and snappy, perhaps he’d have even attacked something despite his obvious magic fatigue.

“Thank you,” he said, touched by his friend’s unexpected thoughtfulness. He tucked the book away safely in one of his pockets, ensuring that it wasn’t going to go anywhere without his knowledge.

“We need to go,” Sephiroth said, ignoring his thanks though the barely visible flush on his cheeks made it apparent how affected he actually was. “Our guide probably wants to get home before dark as well.”

“I’m more worried about the dragon coming back to kill you guys,” the child said, surprising a laugh out of Genesis, oh he did like this little spit-fire. It wasn’t often they were spoken to like that, especially by such a vulnerable and defenceless child.

“Well then,” Genesis said, forcing himself to his unsteady feet. He stumbled into Sephiroth, drawing concerned looks from the others, before steadying himself. “Lead on,” he trailed off, prompting the boy to finish with his own name.

“Cloud, I’m Cloud.”

“Lead on, Cloud.”

But Cloud remained silent, watching them expectantly until Fair couldn’t contain himself and groaned. “What is it? I thought we needed to go!”

“You haven’t told me your names,” Cloud said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world and they were imbeciles for missing it. “And I told you mine.”

Genesis chuckled again, drawing Angeal’s disapproving look. “How rude of us,” he mused, enjoying the interaction, though it was probably due to his state of fatigue. “I’m Genesis and this is Sephiroth, Angeal and Fair,” he gestured to each in turn, ignored Fair’s indignant response to how he had introduced him.

It pleased Cloud though, as he turned away from them and began to lead them away from their helicopter, seemingly gliding over the fields of snow. They were able to catch up to Cloud within moments, their longer legs carrying them over longer distances than Cloud’s own, but he shifted away from each of them whenever they strayed too close to him.

While Genesis was too buzzed to comment upon it, Fair wasn’t, nor did he have the tact to bring attention to it subtly. 

“Why are you keep dodging whenever we come near you?”

“I don’t wanna catch your stupid,” was Cloud’s response, surprising Fair into stillness and leaving him to catch up to them as they continued on. 

It only took a few moments for Fair to catch up to them, and then he started to freak out, exclaiming while waving widely. “Guys, he’s transparent! How the fuck are you transparent?!”

“You can’t live near a reactor without something getting fucked up.” Cloud shot back, turning to glare at Fair and causing Genesis to dissolved into amused laughter. Sephiroth reached out to hold him up, fixing him with a concerned look, justified of course, magic fatigue certainly did make knock him around a bit. But even Angeal had snorted at the boy’s response, so he felt completely fine with his own laughter.

“And you’re not even leaving footprints!”

“Well, yeah.” This was accompanied by an exaggerated roll of Cloud’s eyes, the words dry and drawn out. “That’s the point.”

“Alright, that’s enough.” Angeal said, cutting off the situation before it could escalate even further and embarrass his student even more. “Behave you two and Zack, stop being rude to the person who’s volunteering to show us back to town.”

“But Angeal!”

“No buts,” Angeal cut him off, gentle but firm. “I want you to be nice or to shut up; Gen’s still pissed at you.”

“I am,” he agreed, the amusement in his voice a contrast to his words. He was still angry at Fair, even if his magic fatigue was making him quite a bit more giggly than usual, his arm was also irritating him a bit, which only added to his foul mood. 

He discreetly checked the material covering his mark, confused by the fact that his mark was still glowing faintly. His delusions had never lasted this long before, he couldn’t understand why his mind was still deceiving him or why the skin around it was starting to irritate him like it was.

He covered the mark once more, the movement unnoticed by the others. He always hated it when his mind deceived him into thinking that His One was alive out there; it’d been ten years since he’d woken up in the middle of the night, dread weighing heavy on his chest and mark dark, he’d have thought that  he’d have stopped this foolish make-believe by now.

They reached the village of Nibelheim just as the sunset was staining the sky, bidding farewell to Cloud as he went one way and they went another, further into the village. He and Angeal let Sephiroth call Shinra and explain the situation to them, his head was starting to pound and he had set himself down at one of the tables and ordered something to eat.

He listened to Angeal and Zack speak to each in quiet tones for a moment before realizing that his arm was no longer paining him, a quick check confirmed that his mark had indeed ‘stopped’ glowing and was back to being as dull as it had been this last decade. He supposed that it had been just his imagination after all.


	2. Glowy Boys

After everything he’d ever done, Genesis had been expecting something like fire and brimstone once he met his end. Instead, he found himself before a tall, ethereal woman, clad in ornate armour and watching him with endless, all-seeing eyes; it was somehow more terrifying.

She watched him unblinkingly, the only being other than himself in the endless abyss around them. He felt like she was judging him, a being wholly lesser than herself, and finding him lacking. 

But, that was him, was it not? Genesis Rhapsodos, always lacking in some way or another. In strength, in kindness and compassion, in…

He couldn’t begin to fathom what such a being as this thought of him, not after the atrocities he had committed towards both the world and his friends. Perhaps, it had been good that his soulmate had died so long ago, at least he wasn’t able to betray them as well.

Her empty eyes closed suddenly, blinking in a serene manner as she gently inclined her head, seemingly having made her decision. The world around them slowly started to fade before his eyes, the being fading into the emptiness as his limbs started to grow heavy and his own consciousness started to drift away from himself.

He next opened his eyes in a familiar setting, a quiet mountain side blanketed in a large layer of snow.

The Nibel mountains? Why was he here?

“Hey,” that voice was familiar to him, but he couldn’t place it at the current moment. “Are you alright?”

He groaned his reply, forcing himself to sit up so he could see who was addressing him. It was a small, blonde boy, pale and thin and garbed in little more than a shirt and a pair of pants, he, looked familiar.

“I know you,” the boy mused, cocking his head at him and leaning into his face to peer at him closer. “You look  _ really _ familiar.”

“I could say the same thing about you.” Genesis froze at the sound of his own voice, barely recognizing it as his own. He hadn’t sounded like that since he’d been…

He lifted a hair to his face, taking in the smaller, delicate limbs he’d had when he’d been young himself. There was no possible way, how had this…?

Had it been that woman? Was this his punishment for all of his crimes? Forced into the body of a child once again?

“Hey, calm down!” The other boy said, reaching forward to take a tight hold of his shoulders. “It’s alright!”

“What’s going on?” Genesis demanded, fixing the other with a desperate gaze. He must know something, he’d take anything at this point!

“Well, we’re dead.”

Genesis froze completely, shock from the other’s words holding him in place. Why had the woman done this to him? Not only curse him to this existence but in the body of a child as well!

But wait, hadn’t he said ‘we’?

“You mean you’re dead too?” He asked, eyes narrowed at the other boy. 

“Well, yeah,” the other shrugged, unconcerned with the question. “Have been for almost fifteen years, I think?”

“Wait,” Genesis breathed, suddenly remembering why the other boy was so familiar to him. “You’re ‘Cloud’, aren’t you?”

Cloud nodded with a hum, brow furrowing as he seemed to summon his own memory of that day. “And, you’re Genesis? You’re friend flew a helicopter into a dragon.”

He nodded, watching Cloud relax in front of him at the confirmation of his identity. So, that explained why he was on the Nibel mountains, he was here with Cloud; two dead people meant to keep each other company.

He glanced down at himself, wanting to take in the difference in his appearance only to pause once again when he noticed another oddity. Was he, glowing?

He looked up, planning to ask Cloud if he could see the glowing as well, only to stop when he noticed the same bright glow surrounding the other’s form as well. What did this..?

Cloud glanced down at himself when he noticed Genesis’ heavy gaze upon himself, shrugging when he saw the glowing for himself. “That’s new,” he mused, lifting his gaze back to Genesis’ own. “I’ve never really glowed before.”

“Soulmarks glow like this,” Genesis breathed, staring unseeingly at the other. “And since we’re just souls, it’d make sense that we’d glow instead.”

“Well, I haven’t had a soulmark since I died, so you might be right.” Cloud said, shrugging once more and seemingly uncaring of Genesis’ revelation.

“But, that would mean that we’re,” he trailed off, unable to give voice to the thoughts running rampant in his head. Was this why she’d done this to him? To give him a chance to exist with his soulmate? The person he’d been aching for for over a decade?

“I guess,” Cloud said, scratching at the back of his head before lifting himself to his feet. “You wanna come see the sunset? It’s pretty nice up here.”

“Alright,” Genesis said, taking the offer hand with a nod and letting Cloud tug him to his feet. He distantly noticed that he was just a few inches taller than the other, but beyond that he noticed the way Cloud lit up, both figuratively and literally, at his acceptance of his offer.

He followed Cloud closely, keeping their hands clasped together tightly and eagerly following Cloud’s excited steps.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now onto what this AUs really about! These two idiots being cute glowy ghost children together and having shenanigans and adventures on the mountains!  
> If you have a suggestion for this AU or something really specific you want me to cover than just drop by my Tumblr @skyeec2 and drop an ask in my inbox! I'm open to suggestions about these two sweet glowing ghost children!


End file.
